The competition for this year's nine Navajo contestants, ranging in age from 19 to 25, was a celebration of the largely outdoor and agricultural-based lifestyle of the most populous tribe of Native Americans on the largest reservation in the country. The competitors built fires, cooked fry bread and slaughtered and butchered livestock.

The young women also showcased themselves in more conventional pageant-like events, such as a modern evening-gown competition and a talent contest.